Oakmont Sunday Symposium

The Oakmont Sunday Symposium provides a forum for speakers on diverse topics such as science, history, politics, culture and current events. Attendance is intended for Oakmont residents and their invited guests. Symposiums take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the East Recreation Center. There is a $3 suggested donation. Find out more at oakmontsundaysymposium.org. All Oakmont residents and their guests are welcome.

Feb. 4 – “Disruption is the new normal,” by Joseph Aaron

Two trends will impact our economy the most over the next 10 to 20 years: the autonomous vehicle and changing demographics in the western world. The pending disruption caused by electric and autonomous vehicles will add two trillion dollars to the GDP and will drive the internal combustion engine into extinction and cause oil to retreat 20 percent from a peak demand of 100 million barrels a day before the end of the next decade. Seven countries in the western world have simply stopped breeding. If this goes unchallenged, it will lead to an economic death spiral over the next 30 years.

Aaron began his professional career as an FBI agent, moved on to Morgan Stanley where he specialized in traditional money management, then ran a long/short hedge fund until retiring in 2006. Finding too much time on his hands, Aaron turned his attention to the future, focusing on disruptive technologies and demographics and the impact they have upon our economy.

Aaron believes that the dystopian view that robots and artificial intelligence will take away our jobs is not true. Anyone who wants a job will have one.

Feb. 11 – “Bats: Truth vs. Myth,” Danielle King

Bats are among the most fascinating yet misunderstood animals in the world. The only true flying mammals, over 1,300 bat species inhabit a wide range of ecosystems on nearly every continent on Earth. Danielle King will discuss bat anatomy, ecology, diversity and conservation including the huge variety seen in their diet, roosting sites and behavior, as well as threats to local populations. King is the Biological Sciences Department Chair at Santa Rosa Junior College. Her research for her Master’s degree in Wildlife focused on roosting ecology of bats in old-growth redwood forests. She has taught human anatomy, zoology, genetics, and evolution for biology majors, as well as Pepperwood Preserve natural history. Next spring she will be teaching in Florence for the SRJC Study Abroad Program.